123 



paration, however, exhibits no sign that could cha- 

 racterize the extreme age which the horse had 

 attained, and I allude to it, only as a confirmation 

 of the opinion I have expressed, that, as the period of 

 life advances, the mouth of the horse becomes more 

 and more difficult of interpretation. 



57. The tricks, that are practised on the teeth, are 

 so much talked about and so generally feared, that 

 the subject demands a few words in explanation. 

 The breeders are known to extract the milk teeth, 

 hoping thereby to hasten the growth of the per- 

 manent incisors, and to increase the apparent age of 

 the colt. The gums they are likewise known to 

 touch with the hot iron, or to freely lance for the 

 same purpose. All of these practices are common 

 enough ; but that they accomplish the design of the 

 persons who employ them is not at all certain. By 

 either of these practices the animal is pained, and 

 pain does not favour development, but, on the con- 

 trary, retards it. The suffering, however, may be 

 brief, yet the effect does not stop there. If the milk 

 tooth is firm in the mouth, when the attempt is made 

 to extract it, in nineteen cases out of twenty, it will 



